Audi's global sales rise in June

With around 91,200 cars, AUDI AG increased its global sales by 1.3
percent last month, compared to June 2008 (2008: 90,025). Over the first six months the brand narrowed the gap to the previous year’s record sales to minus 9.7 percent, with around 466,000 vehicles delivered (2008: 516,219).

The main driving forces behind the sales success in June were record unit sales in China and Germany. Likewise, Audi’s business performance in the United States and Western Europe was much better than that of its competitors. Over the first six months of this year, Audi was the strongest premium brand in Western Europe.

"Our sales success particularly in difficult markets such as Western Europe and the United States shows that Audi currently presents the best choice in the premium segment – offering the freshest product range in the industry," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales.

"The new Audi Q5 is enjoying greater success worldwide than its core competitors. The locally built long-wheelbase version of the Audi A4 is proving capable of meeting the special requirements of the Chinese market. And our Audi A6 was the world’s bestselling business sedan in the first half of the year."

For the full year, Schwarzenbauer confirmed the forecast made by AUDI AG at the start of the year. "We will finish on target – achieving our sales forecast of 900,000 cars in 2009. We have been right on track over the first six months, and the current level of incoming orders serves to confirm our prognosis."

AUDI AG had already anticipated a year-on-year downturn in vehicle deliveries of around ten percent at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

Audi achieved strong growth in many other markets in the Asia-Pacific region. In Singapore Audi has sold 123 cars in June, bringing the total number of cars delivered in the first half of 2009 to 682. This represents a 4.3% growth year-on-year and an increase in its market share to 12.1% in the luxury car segment.

Credits: JRC